Pre-Dinner Bourbon

I have been drinking Basil Hayden's before dinner since it is nice and light. However, I really do not like the $40 price tag. Can anyone recommend a nice light bourbon for before dinner that is not to sweet? I drink Makers Mark the rest of the time. I find it a little to sweet for before dinner.

Re: Pre-Dinner Bourbon

Originally Posted by EvanB

I have been drinking Basil Hayden's before dinner since it is nice and light. However, I really do not like the $40 price tag. Can anyone recommend a nice light bourbon for before dinner that is not to sweet? I drink Makers Mark the rest of the time. I find it a little to sweet for before dinner.

IMHO you have just named 2 of the "lighter" bourbons that exist. I would be hard pressed to come up with anything that "light' that compares. I haven't had Basil Hayden in a while but isn't that "sweet" for a bourbon? Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Re: Pre-Dinner Bourbon

Originally Posted by wrbriggs

How about W.L. Weller Special Reserve? I find it less sweet than Maker's, but it's definitely a light, drinkable bourbon - and at ~$13 / bottle, it won't break the bank.

Good choice, I always recommend W. L. Weller Special Reserve to bourbon postulants as a great starting point. Nice flavor, an easy drink, and easy on the billfold. Most have never heard of it, therefore it's exotic.

Re: Pre-Dinner Bourbon

The pre-1998 (or so) Old Crow from Jim Beam was a wonderful, light but complex bourbon. Nothing at all like the previous, richer Old Crow that they inherited from National Distillers, but very nice nonetheless. I loved it neat or on the rocks before dinner. Really nice spice, sweet, and almost delicate. And it was only $6.35/750 ml. I am not aware of any bourbon like it today.

And then in they reduced it to a three-year-old, which is simply not in the same class. Feinty and young, where the old one was fully matured.

Jim Murray says that recent bottlings have improved, but it's still only three-years-old, and he gives it a 79. Way below what the old one would have been, I would guess, had he been giving numeric scores earlier.

Fortunately, I have a 750 ml and a 200 ml in my bunker.

I think there is a real place for such a bourbon. I wish one were still available.